Well even though I have a pretty capable photo rig it's my skills with it that's the limitation rather than the camera. I'm not too happy about the quality of the images I put up but I guess they will serve the purpose.
What threw me off about how you are describing your steaming is this... Typically when a person goes to steam microfoam there is an initial few seconds where the air bubbles are introduced into the milk by skimming the surface of the milk. As I discussed this with John, I showed him that I might only surface surf for 3secs or maybe 4secs depending on what I am trying to do (and depending on the age of the milk, type, planetary alignment, etc). Once the initial 3sec air bubbles exist it then requires the fractioning of those big bubbles (and by big I mean small bubbles, but they are massive compared to the end result micro-bubbles). The remainder of your time is spent manipulating the milk to destroy the bubbles into smaller and smaller and smaller sized bubbles. That requires you to sink the wand into the jug and get on to bubble-smashing. Now remember, I'm not talking about the big sea foam bubbles that you see EVERYWHERE, I'm talking about small bubbles that then get smashed into super-small bubbles.
Watching the Carrezza video posted by Tex and talking with John, the Carrezza wand is introducing house-sized bubbles into the milk. Uhmmmm, not good. The small bubbles I'm talking about are only introduced in the first 2-3secs from then on it should be a no-air scenario.
Huh? No air? Well, about 4 or 5yrs ago there was a a magical point in the espresso world where good baristas, observant home espresso drinkers and passionate geeks started talking about the abilities (or more importantly the non-abilities) of certain wands, wand tips, boilers, dry steam, wet steam, phony air introduction systems, etc. Out of that came an understanding that simple because you hold a steam wand in your hand doesn't make it magically capable of producing microfoam. Speaking of the Brewtus II that I use, the Brewtus Users Forum went through a period of time where at least five steam tips were compared, one of them being the stock tip that came with the machine (horrendous) and one of them being the tip I bought after-market (awesome). So again, because it's called an espresso machine doesn't guarantee any ability to produce microfoam - so your inability to punch out good foam may not have anything to do with you, it could simply be a bad steam tip.
Following me so far?
Maybe check to see if there is mention on Google about Isomac Tea steam tips - suck/no suck?
Hey Shaun ... yes I get what you are saying. I never heard an analogy like that for frothing milk but my results with the Tea ll speak for themselves ... in other words this sounds like the complete opposite of what I am doing so already this sounds like it will work. On all the reading I did on working with a prosumer machine frothing they never explained it the way you have. I will certainly try to do it this way.
Yes ... I have already tried numerous tips on the Tea ... I have 5 to date (this includes the tip that came with the machine). Actually the best one that I've found was custom made for me from a guy on CG ... he actually made me 2 ... a single and double holed tip. I thought the single would work better but found that his 2 small holed tip is now the best tip that I own.
Between your post here and John F's PM I think I will try this new strategy out on my next cappuccino go around. I hope you don't mind if I send more questions your way if I find I have a problem getting this to work.
Thanks
Bummer, you already have a collection of tips, you should put them in the tip jar - groan. ;-)
I hope it works out for you, just try to understretch the milk initially, literally. Put the tip on the surface and only stretch the milk for like 2-3 secs, and even though you "know" that is a ridiculously short period of time and you "know" it didn't stretch enough... just go with it and get on with sinking that wand and smashing those bubbles. If the milk isn't capable of pouring art then start again and add another second of stretch to the initial phase and then sink the wand in and begin the bubble-smash again, if that pour didn't work then add another 1sec of strech, etc.
You'll get it. But if you have questions, fire away.
